Sustainable default: delete duplicates, keep records

The sustainable default means you routinely purge digital clutter — duplicate photos, old drafts, expired reports — but only after checking what must stay. For example, a tax record with a seven-year retention rule is not obsolete, even if you have a copy on your desktop and another in the cloud. The trick is to delete the copy that adds no value, not the record itself. Hoarding every version wastes energy on storage and backups, yet losing a required document breaks compliance.

When you see a question about reducing environmental impact, look for the phrase "retention plan" or "retention schedule." If the scenario mentions a legal hold or audit requirement, do not recommend deletion of the original file — only of duplicates or outdated versions. A quick mental check: ask yourself, "Would deleting this file break a rule?" If yes, keep it; if no, delete it. Another hint: think of email inboxes — deleting old newsletters saves server energy, but deleting a contract before the retention period ends is a mistake.

To test yourself, imagine you have three copies of the same spreadsheet from last year. The retention policy says you must keep one copy for two more years. The sustainable action is to delete two copies and keep one. That is the core judgement: purposeful retention, not blanket hoarding or blanket deletion. Remember it as "one copy, not three."